Kitchen gadgets

[Zengirl]

What brands of immersion blender and spiralizer give the best bang for the buck? Can't afford to spend a ton, but don't want to end up with junk that doesn't work well or breaks

[littleg]

I bought this 2 (3?) years ago and it still works - it has done raw sweet potatoes, butternut squash and then the usual zucchini.  My father bought a non-Paderno one and it broke the first time he used it (making sweet potato noodles).  

I have a Cuisinart immersion blender - 10 years later (maybe more) its still fine.  

I'm not a gadgety person but I will say that I use my immersion blender at least once a week for mayo/blending soups (and would hate to bust out the food processor instead for things like soup).  I go through spurts with the spiralizer - more in the summer when zucchini is in season - but there is no substitute for it that is as easy.  I use my Instant Pot once a week as well.  The only thing I use my food processor for is but butter for the most part.  So I think you are on the right (and less expensive) track going for a the two items you listed   But if you stick with whole-foods type cooking the Instant Pot would make a lovely Christmas/Hanukkah present

[snowflower]

I have a calphalon immersion blender and it's worked beautifully for me for 3+ years.  I use it for mayo and soups.  Got it at Bed Bath & Beyond with a 20% off coupon.

I have a Paderno spiralizer (From Williams Sonoma) that I've used for 2+ years.  Before that I used a mandoline, but I like the longer noodles the spiralizer makes so have ditched the mandoline for noodling.

[becs]

I have a spiralizer that's kinda like this one, though mine didn't come with the extra tools. $10 bucks sounds pretty good to me! I also ditched my mandolin for noodles and switched to the spiralizer. So much easier!

The immersion blenders are a little more pricey, but it looks like you can get one for around $30 on Amazon. I think mine is a Cuisinart, and it's been going strong for at least five years.

[kirkor]

I've got the handheld Veggetti spiralizer and it's been working great.  I haven't felt the need for the Paderno-type countertop crank style.  Also the handheld one is small enough that I don't feel "gadget guilt" since it tucks away in a drawer with a bunch of other stuff.

[Bellmaestra]

I have a cute little julienne tool that probably cost me 5 bucks at Ace hardware. It makes wonderful thin noodles. A potato peeler works great for long, wide noodles. I was tempted by a spiralizer attachment for my Kitchenaid, until I read the reviews, which said it wasn't worth the money.

My husband bought be a really nice immersion blender from Williams and Sonoma for Christmas a few years ago, and I still haven't figured it out... I need to try again now that it's soup weather.

Stephanie

[Mistyfire]

I have a Braun immersion blender (that came with an s blade and a bowl) that I got 12 years ago and even with using it a few times a week, it's still a champ. It's in my top 3 kitchen gadgets. 

[NoMoreCrunchyCravings]

My Cuisinart immersion blender and my lemon juicer have been the best gadgets for me these last several weeks.

I think these are the two products I bought: juicer immersion blender but I spend less than $10 on my juicer, and about $20 on my blender, I believe.

Only thing I'd change is for my next blender to not have a lock key that you need to hold down in order to keep the blender running. I know it's a safety feature, but it's slightly awkward for my hands when I'm focusing on my mayo!

[Sugre]

This silly gizmo:

 

https://www.buyclevercutter.com/?utm_source=Google_TM&utm_medium=CPC&utm_campaign=CPD&gclid=CLDy_5CYnNECFc6Eswodf1gBAw

 

instead of making a mess or when you're in a hurry, great way to chop/cut food. You can find it everywhere ( amazon, BJ's Target.. etc )

[nanners]

Immersion blender for mayo and soup blending. We use garlic ALOT, love my garlic press, pop the garlic in the microwave for 20-25 seconds, take the outside off and thru the press. Dont know how much it cost as it was a gift

[Toralora]

I've made good use of my Paderno spiralizer (my lone complaint is that I can't quite get the suction to work, which is a pain) and my food processor (great for cauliflower rice, slicing sweet potatoes, pesto).

[Carol]

I have disliked using spiralizers -- and before that, mandoline slicers.  The blades are not made of a high quality steel. This keeps the price down, but they also get dull too quickly. This makes them more frustrating to use and sometimes has even led to my thumb being ripped in to, instead of the food.   (Don't bleed on food, it's bad form)

However, a lady that runs an Asian grocery near me, and who is also passionate about cooking -- has introduced me to Benriner slicers.  I have their mandoline, and their turner-slicer (spiralizer).  Both perform beautifully, in fact the first time I used the spiralizer to cut daikon threads, I was looking at the pile I created with a bit of shock.  Did I really just do that -- all of that -- in just a few seconds?  

In addition to performing well - all the blades are replaceable and readily available.